Israeli Excavation Reveals New Findings About the Ark of the Covenant
Excavations at Kiryat Yearim may show the handiwork of King Jeroboam and suggest that the Ark was a symbol of unity between rival kingdoms
Archaeology
Iran at a Low Point: Tehran Is Sinking, and It May Be Irreversible
A recent study based on analyzed satellite data shows that the Iranian capital is sinking at a rate of 10 inches per year
Hanukkah Gelt 900-year-old Cache of Gold Coins Found in Ancient Israeli City of Caesarea
Treasure was likely hidden before Crusaders seized the city from Muslim Caliphate in 1101. Owner may have been a local trader killed in the massacre of Caesarea’s population by conquering Christians
Ring of Roman Governor Pontius Pilate Who Crucified Jesus Found in Herodion Site in West Bank
The ring was found during a dig led by Professor Gideon Forster from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem 50 years ago, but only now has the inscription been deciphered
Canaanites Performed Primitive Brain Surgery 3,500 Years Ago in Northern Israel
Skeletons of severely malformed brothers who survived their maladies (if not the trephination) found in Megiddo show the ancient Canaanites cared for the disabled
Archaeologists Recover Rare 9,000-year-old Mask Found by West Bank Settler
The Neolithic-era stone mask could have been a local way to stake a claim to land in the transition from hunting and gathering to farming, archaeologists suggest
Archaeologists Find Lost Swedish Man-of-war, and Sink the Hype
Mars may well have been one of the biggest warships in the world when it exploded off the Swedish island of Öland in 1564, sinking with all hands, but it seems some exaggeration was involved
Egypt Unveils Over 3,000-year-old Female Mummy in Unopened Coffin
The sarcophagus was one of two found earlier this month in a necropolis on the Western bank of the Nile, and joins over a dozen other ancient discoveries Cairo has made in the past year in the hopes to boost tourism
Massive Ceremonial Hall Discovered Under Crusader Castle in Northern Israel
Archaeologists exploring Montfort Castle in the Galilee discovered a previously unknown, richly decorated Gothic hall where the secretive knights' order gathered for their assemblies
Another First Temple Weight, This One With Mirror Writing, Found in Jerusalem Sifting Project
This tiny stone weight found by the foundation stones of the Western Wall may have been used in the First Temple itself, if users were unfazed by its backwards engraving
Reinventing the Wheel? Early Humans Invented Prehistoric ‘Swiss Army Knife’ Everywhere They Lived
Levallois-toolmaking technique didn’t spread from Africa and Europe: It was locally invented in Asia too, suggests new paper
Stunning Fresco of 'Leda and the Swan' Sex Scene Found in Pompeii
Discoverers say this 1st century image of mythological bestiality is ‘exceptional and unique’ for its sensual and explicit portrayal of the episode that ultimately set in motion the Trojan war
Missing Piece of Antikythera Mechanism Found on Aegean Seabed
Bronze disk unearthed by archaeologists in same wreck where original 2,200-year-old computer had been found; also located bits of the ship that Jacques Cousteau and looters hadn't destroyed
'Suddenly I Saw Eyes': Jesus’ Face Discovered in Ancient Israeli Desert Church
Very little early Christian art has survived the centuries in the Holy Land – but then an Israeli art historian looked at the apse of a ruined Byzantine church in Shivta, and saw Jesus’ face and short curly hair
Archaeologists Find Mummified Sacred Beetles and Cats in Ancient Egyptian Tombs
Crocodiles also found among the animals embalmed to gratify the gods of the Fifth Dynasty 4,500 years ago
World’s Earliest Figurative Art Wasn’t in Europe, Archaeologists Reveal
Prehistoric people in Southeast Asia were decorating their caves with cattle drawings and hand stencils in Borneo as early as 52,000 years ago, thousands of years before the rock artists of Europe
Graffiti of Competently-drawn Ships Found in 2,000-year-old Cistern in Israeli Desert
Whoever drew the boats in the Roman-era water reservoir in Be'er Sheva knew exactly how to build them, the archaeologists say
Gauls Perfected Art of Decapitation by Embalming Enemy Heads for Posterity
Severing ears and penises as trophies of war is all very well but then proof of identity becomes tricky
Neanderthal Children Got Badly Sick in Winter, Study Shows
Analysis of Neanderthal teeth from France found earliest known exposure to lead 250,000 years ago, and deduced that they nursed until late toddlerhood
Desert Farmers in Israel Invented Unique Farming Method 1,000 Years Ago
Method of growing trees in pits irrigated by groundwater began in the Negev, and spread throughout the region despite the Crusader invasion
Birds Inherited Colorful Eggs From Dinosaurs, Scientists Prove
Maniraptors that evolved into birds had exactly same pigments in their eggshells as today’s avians, while triceratops and sauropods had none
Israelites in Biblical Dan Worshipped Idols – and Yahweh Too, Archaeologists Discover
Finds in the northern biblical city of Dan suggest that even if King Jeroboam pushed worship of golden calves and goat demons to spite Jerusalem, there was a big YHWH temple
Archaeologists Debunk Theory That Farming Ruined Our Health
Chew on this: Hunter-gatherers and somewhat later early farmers in Southeast Asia had different problems but similar disease loads, Australian researchers show
Dead Sea Scroll Fakes Abound, and Scholars Admit They Share the Blame
By authenticating artifacts of unknown origin, researchers have unintentionally abetted their dissemination around the world, including to the Bible Museum in Washington
Archaeologists Seek Signs of Joshua's Conquest in Last Unexplored Biblical City
Scrambling to save the last unexcavated biblical town from dirt bikers, archaeologists have found layers going back more than 4,000 years, since before Joshua's time
Do Jews Believe in the Devil?
Satan didn’t arise from Hell fully formed. The concept of an ultimate Evil One was apparently borrowed from the Persians and continued to evolve throughout antiquity
Tel Aviv's New Nature Museum Just Discovered Human Evolution
The new exhibit 'What makes us human?' at the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History finally chooses to side with science and address the scientific facts of evolution, but the omission of Darwin's theories as well as public reactions make it evident that it's soon to call this a success
Huge if True: The Archaeological Case for Goliath
Is the story of the Philistine champion Goliath a distant memory of an event that took place in the 11th century B.C.E. or a fable by priests conspiring in Jerusalem 400 years later?
Religion, Science Clash as Archaeologists Restore Ancient Jewish Catacomb in Rome
New finds in the 2,000-year-old underground cemetery include the first Hebrew inscription at the site, as well as signs that Christians and Jews may have shared the burial space
Decapitated 2,000-year-old Skeletons Unearthed at Downtown Jerusalem Dig
Most of the 125 skeletons belonged to women and children from the Jewish Pharisee sect, who were likely massacred by king Alexander Yannai of the rival Sadducees, archaeologists say